UNICEF: Gaza children in ‘catastrophic situation’ as Israeli war rages on

A bloodied Palestinian child standing in the ruins in the aftermath of an Israeli bombardment, Gaza, Palestine, on Oct. 25, 2023. (AA Photo)

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has expressed concerns about the “catastrophic situation” of Palestinian children in the besieged Gaza Strip, which has been under a genocidal Israeli bombing campaign for over three weeks.

UNICEF spokesperson Toby Fricker said the number of children killed in Gaza is catastrophic.

“The situation for children is horrific,” he said an interview with Al Jazeera TV channel on Sunday, calling for the protection of Gaza hospitals from relentless Israeli airstrikes, the establishment of safe humanitarian corridors, and the continuous and sustainable delivery of humanitarian aid to the people in the coastal enclave.

In another interview with France 24, Fricker said the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is “staggering”.

The Gaza children, he noted, are petrified about the situation that they are living through in the densely-populated territory.

Israel waged the bloody war on the Gaza Strip on October 7 after the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement launched the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity.

Since the start of the war, the Tel Aviv regime has been committing war crimes in Gaza, killing at least 8,069 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring over 22,000 others.

It has also imposed a “complete siege” on the territory, cutting off fuel, electricity, food and water to the more than two million Palestinians living in the coastal sliver. 

ICC prosecutor: Israel should ensure Gazans’ access to basic items

Additionally on Sunday, the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) top prosecutor urged Israel to make “discernible efforts” to make sure civilians get basic food and medicines.

Speaking at a news conference in Egypt, Karim Khan said impeding aid to Gaza could be a crime under ICC jurisdiction.

“There should not be any impediment to humanitarian relief supplies going to children, to women and men, civilians,” he emphasized.

“They are innocent, they have rights under international humanitarian law,” Khan said, warning that curtailing those rights give rise to criminal responsibility under the ICC’s Rome Statute.